She's a classic bootstrap paradox character... Who looks like X-Factor Jean Grey with a Superman theme. Also, Kristen Wells seems like such a normal name... Wait, Wells, like H.G. Wells... Maybe that's the connection, surprised there isn't more Legion of Superheroes or Booster Gold connections.
@@BryantStevenson-z6yBooster Gold hails from Eobard Thawne and John Fox's 25th Century in most continuities. (Only in the Superman and the LoSH tie-in is he from the 31st Century.)
I find the idea of “the last secret identity” so fascinating! That in the far off future, when every modern hero is gone and all of their stories have been revealed, there’s just this one person left who is still a mystery. It reminds me of Booster Gold’s status quo shift in 52
Kristin Wells strikes such a chord with me, I feel like her backstory is so similar to Booster Gold its a wonder there's not been a story with the two of them working together. I guess I'll have to write it myself.
I have thought the same thing. In my "story I haven't written yet", she runs in Booster into Metropolis while fighting a villain or something and then Booster makes an offhand comment, quoting from a 4D video show (or whatever) from his time and she, instinctively, finishes the quote. And they both do a double take and realize what this means.
The whole thing about her quoting her own historic speech is a classic bootstrap paradox, but, like all the best bootstrap paradoxes, it works because she's not just reciting some memorised words; she's saying something she means, using words that have a deep meaning both to herself, and to many others. They're words she might have said even if she didn't know what history records that Superwoman said that day.
I have this fan-fiction-y idea that nobody would ever let me write that involves Kristin Wells in a big way. It's basically, "What if the pre Crisis Earth One did NOT get merged into the other Earths at the end of Crisis?" So, we have all the history of the pre-Crisis Earth One, but now, it's after Crisis has happened (and after Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow has happened). So, now, Superman is dead, Supergirl is dead, Wonder Woman is dead, Flash (Barry Allen) is dead, Aquagirl is dead (LOL, who cares), and all of Superman's important supporting cast and villains are dead for the most part. So, someone has to take up the slack. And that someone is Superwoman (Kristin Wells). This is her chance to shine. She even gets to start up a new version of the Justice League (since JLI just isn't going to happen). Here's my roster: Superwoman (Kristin Wells), Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) who eventually goes through a character arc in which she becomes Batwoman, Wonder Woman (Nubia takes up the role after Donna is offered the opportunity), Mera and Aquaman (Mera gets a character arc involving her motivations here), Green Lantern (John Stewart), Firehawk (with occasional visits from Firestorm), Conjura (okay, super obscure character but one that nobody's done anything with), and maybe Captain Comet.
I find it funny that Kristin's normal outfits are all more revealing than her Super Hero costume. Maybe the logic is "Superwoman can't be Kristin Wells...I can't see her legs!:
I remember "Miracle Monday"! The part I remember most is that Earth was the only planet in existence with Xerox technology, and somehow we eventually could Xerox other planets! It's so funny how Jimmy is SO attracted to a woman with a strong resemblance to him!
i think a story about being celebrated as a hero for something that you haven’t done yet despite history saying otherwise would make for a very unique and interesting story
Another thing to remember is that "Miracle Monday" was a highly retooled retelling of a Silver Age story, "Thirsty Thursday," in which a villain did something like make all of the water in Metropolis undrinkable, or something along those lines. (It's been more than half a century since I read it, okay? ;) ) That story did not include Kristin Wells, though IIRC, it did feature the trope of the time traveler coming back to witness an historic event, and becoming a crucial figure in said event. I did enjoy one of the narrative tricks Magin used in "Miracle Monday," though -- using Kristin's diary to document her slow corruption by the demon C.W. Saturn. Ending with Saturn casting off the final remnants of Wells, and signing off the final diary entry with a literally chilling "...at the dawn of a frigid March." That particular line has stuck with me. There was also a very nice little exploration of the carefully cultivated personality Kal-El had crafted for Clark, down to little neurotic idiosyncrasies about how Clark organized his apartment, and his hobby of collecting interesting and funny TV commercials on VHS tapes. Demonstrating that Kel-El never really enjoyed the opportunity to just be himself, he was always either playing the role of Superman, or the role of Clark Kent. And both were cultivated personalities. There was a nightmare depicted that Kal-El was having, in which his secret identity had been taken away, and he had to be Superman *all the time*. "It was hellish," was the description of his thoughts about it, IIRC. And later, when Saturn actually does take away Clark Kent, it proves to be worse than he had dreamt. With the ultimate stab through his heart -- Lois will have nothing to do with him, because he must have "been sitting behind those glasses, laughing at me all this time for being so stupid." For a comic book character, it was well-developed psychological horror.
Elliot S! Maggin really did (in my opinion) a great job of exploring and expanding on the psychology and intrinsic character of both Kal-El and Lex Luthor. I really liked Miracle Monday and it fit so well withing the then-current Superman story being shown in the comics.
I literally just finished reading "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", and when I saw this version of Superwoman I was like "who?". This video could not have been more timely.
I LOVED the "cranky, old Superwoman" revision! I'm still mad that they just HAD to ruin it by making her a war-criminal that Clark could not in good conscience associate with...She would have made an awesome babysitter for Jon when he was still a kid; who else could keep up with him? And that could've warmed her heart up a bit, too...More opportunities for Fun Stories, down the drain...
Maggin's two novels, "Last Son of Krypton" and "Miracle Monday", are the definitive version of Superman as far as I'm concerned. Those books should be required reading for anyone attempting to write the character. It's interesting how those novels came about. Supposedly, Mario Puzo (who worked on the Superman movie script) had a clause in his contract that his screenplay could not be turned into a book. So Warner Bros. decided to commission an original story instead, and just package it as if it were movie tie-in. The same clause applied to the sequel, so we got a second Maggin novel to go with that one. By the time Superman III came around, Puzo was no longer involved, so they just did a regular adaptation instead.
Per an interview with Maggin, Last Son of Krypton originated as his own film treatment for a Superman film circa 1974. Agreed on the treatment of Superman's character, and I've always wished that Maggin's version of Luthor had become the template. I especially liked his many disposable secret identities convincing him that Superman must do the same, and so uncovering any single one wasn't worth it. And stashing technological wonders in a modern art museum. ("That's your spaceship?" "You don't think it's art, do you?")
Not really, as some of the opinions and views of Maggins shown in those novels don't apply anymore to the character. For example Maggin shows Clark Kent as a purely fictional identity created by Superman, but nowadays Clark Kent is usually shown as the real identity or at least as real as Superman.
@@RodrigoGarcia-ze5em I'm well aware that the current Superman isn't much like Maggin's. That's my point. I think it should be, because I like that version better.
@@JKevinCarrier that's kinda of a fanatical response then. The post crisis superman was created with the intention of going back to the golden age roots of the character, in which Superman didn't know he was kryptonian until much later in life and as a result he identified with his human identity and the average reader seem to prefer Clark being more real than Maggin saw him as.
In Doomsday Clock #12, we're introduced to an "Earth 1985", basically a continuation of pre-Crisis Earth 1 in much the same way that pre-Crisis Earth 2 was a continuation of the Golden Age DCU. I could see using Kristen Wells as a way of reintroducing Earth-1985, given her "time traveling historian" premise.
That could be an interesting universe to explore. Maybe make Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? canon, so the OG Superman's retired, and you can explore a Flash who doesn't have the Speed Force.
@ProjektTaku Other things to lean into: Superman and Jimmy Olsen had temporarily become the Batman and Robin of the bottled city of Kandor, a.k.a. Nightwing and Flamebird. (That's where Dick Grayson got the Nightwing codename.) They eventually passed the identities on to a couple of natives, Van-Zee and Ak-Var. After that, Kandor was restored to fill size on an alien world called Rokyn, serving as basically a "New Krypton". So after the death of Jimmy and the presumed death of Superman during WHttMoT, I could see Van-Zee and Ak-Var relocating to Earth and taking on the identities of Superman and Superboy.
Supergirl and the Flash could be the ones seen in Convergence #8: Earth 1985 went through the Crisis the way Earth 1 did, but recovered Barry Allen and Linda Lee some time after WHttMoT. When Barry returns, Wally takes on a new codename, as he's outgrown Kid Flash. My suggestion would be Fast Forward. Jimmy also needs to be saved from his fate in WHttMoT, because he's Kristen Wells' ancestor.
@@dataweaver I dunno, not giving Wally the Flash moniker is pretty disrespectful. Even if he was never Flash on Earth-1985, he was the main Flash for a long time. I think exploring more of the Flashes without the Speed Force is still a good idea.
@ProjektTaku Earth-1985 is (the continuation of) the Bronze Age; and Barry Allen is the Bronze Age Flash, just like Jay Garrick is the Golden Age Flash. That's why Wally West _shouldn't_ be Earth-1985's Flash; at least, not for long. And I say this as a huge fan of Wally. There's a time and place for him to be the Flash; but Earth-1985 isn't it. I'm also with you about Flash without the Speed Force. Which is another reason why Wally shouldn't be the Flash on this Earth: the Speed Force was a Wally innovation, being revealed as part of Wally's story arc where he finally surpassed his mentor. Sticking to Barry as the Flash keeps us firmly grounded in the pre-Speed Force era of storytelling.
Aww, a shame that she didn't have more appearances, she sounds like a super fun character! Just the little tidbits in the video she really shows a fun personality and role! I should really check out more Bronze Age comics, they look very fun!
Definitely seemed like a fun time travel story. If they reintroduce her, I'd actually rather it happen in a story centered on her and Booster Gold! That seems like it could be fun.
Thanks for doing this. Superwoman was there and then disappeared after Crisis! I saw this story on the newsstand but did not pick it up.Im glad she's back in whatever form
@@sandal_thong Same. I still have some superhero books I enjoy, though I'm mostly filling in back issues and grabbing interesting arc trades. Largely I've moved along to other things - Groo, Usagi Yojimbo, Conan, Goon. And I do have a weakness for Lego superheroes.
You know her appearance in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" created a paradox I would have expected Alan Moore to exploit given him being such a stickler for details. In her second appearance as you noted she says she's a descendant of Jimmy Olsen, well Olsen dies in "Whatever", presumably leaving no heirs behind. So either Kristin should have winked out of existence the moment he died or she should have been left with no future to return to. I wonder why Moore didn't notice this? It's possible she was added by Curt Swain and wasn't in Moore's script for the issues, and since this was when Swain was the veteran Superstar and Moore was the up and comer, he didn't have a say in how the art came out. It could have left Kristin in the same boat as other time displaced characters in DC's history. Something maybe a writer could use her for at some point I suppose. Still it's any interesting flub from a creator who is notorious for his details.
Alternatively, Jimmy Olsen could have knocked up Lucy Lane or someone else before going to the Fortress, leaving Kristin the descendent of a man who never met his child... 😢
To be fair "Whatever Happened" has a time skip at the beggining (Lois mentions events and battles we didn't see, like the Death of Terra Man and Parasite or the destruction of Brainiac's metal body) so it's possible Jimmy impregnated his girlfriend without realizing before dying.
I really like this Superwoman's outfit, particularly the way the cape flows into the blue portion of her torso. Also, I just lover her expressions in the panels with her and the flag in the future. I don't remember seeing a super that looking that happy just flying around since dream-Asa in Astro City.
I had the annual with Luthorcon. I loved that her 80s future fashion was just a (slightly) exaggerated version of what was on MTV at the time. I wonder if she used that annoying glitter hairspray too?
usually i dislike costumes like superwoman cowl, but this was drawn with an interesting silhouette. and i love time travel with an interesting concept.
Thank you for featuring her. I have been a fan since I came across her 1st appearance at a local flea market when I was younger. Wish they'd bring her back
Really enjoy these deep dives into obscure characters that only appeared a handful of times I read both annuals, but never read miracle Monday, so good to learn about it
So happy you talked about this character. I had both of those Kristen Wells (Superwoman) comics once upon a time and thoroughly loved them. I thought they were fun and would have loved to have seen more adventures with her.
Awesome! I was a big fan of DC COmics Presents and recall his first appearance well. The later stories I wasn't aware of so it was great to hear about the continuing adventures (and cameos) of Kristin Wells and Superwoman.
THANK YOU! I read Superman: Miracle Monday when it came out, and I only had patchy memories of the details after the years, so it was wonderful to be reacquainted with it, plus the Kristen Welles Superwoman!
Thanks for doing this. I always liked Kirsten Wells, and glad to see she hasn't been totally forgotten. There was another story by Elliot S! Maggin, 'The Miracle Of Thirsty Thursday' from Superman # 293 (August 1975), which has a historian from the future, Joanne Jaime, who goes back into the past to witness actions by Superman that become part of future folklore. Joanie reads like a prototype for Kirsten, but she's less proactive, mostly standing by and watching events.
Elliot S! Maggin wrote a similar story back in 1975 for Superman #293 "The Miracle of Thirsty Thursday" with many of the same plot points, especially when it comes to time travel.
Thank you SO MUCH for talking about the two Elliot S! Magin novels. (Yes, the middle initial is properly punctuated with an exclamation point -- I'm surprised you didn't note that, lol!) He was one of the most prolific of the Silver Age writers of the Superman stories. I have always enjoyed the insight he showed into the Silver Age DC universe, stated in the first novel, "Last Son of Krypton." It went something like "In a world where Good and Bad were easy to tell apart, Superman saved the tanker," or something very similar. There is also a nice scene in one of these books that portrays the Silver Age Superman perfectly -- for example, showcasing how Supes has to be able to *think* in super-speed in order to pull off the saves he does. Unlike in other DC shows and books, Magin's Superman can see, for example, that there are a dozen people about to die, and he has to decide which ones will survive unscathed, and which ones will get hurt. He just can't move fast enough to save everyone without injury. So, thinking 10 steps ahead, within a second or two, he gets everyone out, but some are hurt. And it weighs on his conscience, that even with his enormous powers, he couldn't stop that. He lived in a world where bad was bad, good was good, and it wasn't very hard to tell the difference... There are days I yearn for that world.
I don't know exactly why, but this video you felt partciularly on your game, it was really good! Kristen is a fun character idea that they should definitely bring back. Maybe put her in the Booster Gold camp of time-travelling heroes. Also the post-crisis version sounded really interesting as well. I think they can both co-exist as seprate characters and both deserve to get explored.
Thanks for this. I love Maggin's work, and the art on Superwoman's comic book appearances was so gorgeous I fell in love with the character. I didn't even know about the alternate version of Kristin; I think I prefer the first one
I wonder if Superwoman helped inspire the Samaritan from "Astro City." Another Superman inspired character from the distant future who traveled back in time to see a specific event (the shuttle Challenger explosion) and found himself becoming a hero in the mold of Superman. He gets a job as a fact checker in a news magazine.
So cool to learn of a Super Woman I had never heard of before! Time travel is always problematic, especially when it is a casual use tech in so many futures, but it seems it was handled well here. I wonder if she's met Professor Zoom, or Booster Gold or any of the other future tech = super powers characters. I think I'd like to see a version of her that was stranded in the past (our present), trying to avoid messing up the timeline, but never sure whether she was. I like the idea of her being literally a woman of Tomorrow.
I'm very glad you did this video. I read the two novels and the DC Comics Presents annuals back when they first came out. She was a very cool character. It would be good to see her brought back if it could done right. As mentioned in the comments, a Superwoman/Booster Gold team-up begs to be told :-).
Elliott S! Maggin deserves more recognition...(I wonder if the "S!" means what I always thought it does). Doesn't one of his stories have a future version of Superman and Lex as friends and allies exploring the universe in their personal starship?
Kristin really seems like a fun character, I’ll have to check out her books! And I’m just glad you didn’t mention that other Superwoman that used her costume, Lois Lane’s sister Lucy who became a serial killer I think?
I read 'Miracle Monday' back in the 1980s. I eventually read the comics with Superwoman in them, but not when they were new. Sometime in the 1990s, I think. Maybe early 2000s. I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about "Superman" #293, which is sort of a precursor to "Miracle Monday."
Excellent video! You probably already know this, but Miracle Monday was very loosely inspired by a 1975 Superman story (also written by Elliot Maggin) called The Miracle of Thirsty Thursday, (either Superman no. 292 or 293, I think?) which also involved a historical journalist from the future. The journalist from the future in that story was a very rough first draft of what eventually became the Kristin Wells character. I would love to see a video about Thirsty Thursday someday. Just a thought! ❤
I really liked the Last Son of Krypton novel. I hadn't been reading comics too long at this point, and it was nice to see superhero stories in prose. I also picked up several of the Marvel Novel Series books that were published in the late 70s. Those were good, too. But I didn't read Miracle Monday until many years later. It was still enjoyable, but not the same as if I had read it in my teens. I also don't know about the wisdom of having a "LutherCon", especially considering that the real Luthor used it to his advantage!
The backstory kind of reminds me of elements of Eobard Thawne's backstory. His modern incarnation is a curator/historian in the future Flash Museum, he went back in time to go on superhero adventures, but ended up finding out he was actually going to be a legendary villain. This element of him as a fanboy discovering his masked identity with time travel was introduced after the Kristin Wells stories, so I wonder if Mark Waid intentionally based that story element on her.
I read "Superman: Last Son of Krypton" when it came out (I was 10) thinking it was about the movie. I didn't actually read comics at the time, had just watched things like Superfriends, which gave me a pretty low opinion of what comics were like. I looooved the book though, especially the depiction of Luthor. It was very obvious that the universe wasn't the film universe, and I figured out it must be closer to the comics, which raised my estimation of them somewhat. I did start reading comics before Miracle Monday came out - mostly Marvel actually, but also Teen Titans during Wolfman's run. I sampled Superman comics, but they were too silly for my taste at the time. But I did read Miracle Monday when it came out. And I remember seeing the covers of the Superman annuals you covered here, but didn't pick them up. I might have if I'd realized it was by Maggin and that Superwoman was Kristen Wells from the book!
I most def remember the Kryptonian version of her when she appeared in the comics. They would get super man comics at the school library when I was in middle school and I remember reading her appearance then. I didnt know she was the super woman but in a different form at the time.
She seems pretty interesting: a historian from the future, travelling to the past, unwillinly at first in making things happened as they do in their history books. You can have her fight a time altering villains monitoring the time stream flow and questioning free will and determinism
Maggin probably cribbed the "Miracle Monday" story from Superman #293 which featured a story called "The Miracle of Thirsty Thursday". (seriously) That story also features a female historian from the future, named Joann Jamie. She travels back in time to learn about an infamous incident in which everyone in Metropolis developed a fear of water which had a mysterious, but "miraculous" resolution.
I like her! Even though i dont care for time travel. Her beeing a historian an history as it was and as it was written, not always beeint the same thing, or her not beeing able to life her full life in either timeline sound fun. She has potential
Have you done a deep dive on Ultraa or Vartoxx yet? Those are a couple characters who've got interesting histories. Oooo...or maybe Mark Shaw, the Privateer/Manhunter? He's another cool character that kind of faded into obscurity.
Who should we talk about next?
Sleepwalker!
Laurel Kent prior to the retcon that she was a robot.
Sharon Ventura,former Ms. Marvel and She-Thing.
Julia Pennyworth 🇬🇧
The super twins! ❤💙🔥
"There's a post Crisis version but it's not the same!" can be applied to so many characters
Lol it really can.
I do believe she talks about that.... in this video LOL
Nocturna for example
Jason Todd is VERY different
But Huntress is still the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, right?
"Why must I be so attracted to my descendants?" - Jimmy Olsen
I guess he a narcissist 🤷♂️
He's the exact opposite of Philip J Fry! 😁
@@nickelliott1174 are you sure? he was attracted to his own grandma? i think
She's a classic bootstrap paradox character... Who looks like X-Factor Jean Grey with a Superman theme. Also, Kristen Wells seems like such a normal name... Wait, Wells, like H.G. Wells... Maybe that's the connection, surprised there isn't more Legion of Superheroes or Booster Gold connections.
Oh she could absolutely be a Booster Gold antagonist. Like the rival that's better at everything than Booster is...
Thats what i was thinking too the entire time, but I guess maybe we can just leave it up to different timelines or something
Well she's from 2862, so she's 200 years before the Legion and Booster. Would be fun to see the 3 encounter each other.
@@BryantStevenson-z6yBooster Gold hails from Eobard Thawne and John Fox's 25th Century in most continuities. (Only in the Superman and the LoSH tie-in is he from the 31st Century.)
You had me at Luthorcon.
Lol I would definitely go to Luthorcon.
Surprised that this was the only time Luthor did something like this.
The amount of ego stroking at such an event.
@@burnum There were several actual
@ Really? This is the first I've heard of this happening.
I find the idea of “the last secret identity” so fascinating! That in the far off future, when every modern hero is gone and all of their stories have been revealed, there’s just this one person left who is still a mystery. It reminds me of Booster Gold’s status quo shift in 52
Kristin got so much confidence by finding out she's superwoman that she started sporting Rachel Summers mullet.
Truly she can do anything.
You're right! How did I miss that? 😅 They could be twins! 😅
Maybe Rachel is the mom and Jimmy is the grandfather on the father's side.
Would explain the memoryloss and the smarts.
9:34 Spider-Man spotted! I love little Easter eggs like this. Same example when Clark Kent was in marvel comics; you love to see it.
Anything goes lol
Also the first appearance of green costume Thor.
Kristin Wells strikes such a chord with me, I feel like her backstory is so similar to Booster Gold its a wonder there's not been a story with the two of them working together.
I guess I'll have to write it myself.
I’ll read that
I have thought the same thing. In my "story I haven't written yet", she runs in Booster into Metropolis while fighting a villain or something and then Booster makes an offhand comment, quoting from a 4D video show (or whatever) from his time and she, instinctively, finishes the quote. And they both do a double take and realize what this means.
"Bring lots of money and prepare to part with it." is the best truth in advertising for a con I've ever seen
The whole thing about her quoting her own historic speech is a classic bootstrap paradox, but, like all the best bootstrap paradoxes, it works because she's not just reciting some memorised words; she's saying something she means, using words that have a deep meaning both to herself, and to many others. They're words she might have said even if she didn't know what history records that Superwoman said that day.
The first time I ran into Kristin Wells was a cameo in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" I was seven. I had no idea there was a Superwoman.
Kristin Wells was “with it”, she would say “hello” to fellow kids lol
I have this fan-fiction-y idea that nobody would ever let me write that involves Kristin Wells in a big way. It's basically, "What if the pre Crisis Earth One did NOT get merged into the other Earths at the end of Crisis?" So, we have all the history of the pre-Crisis Earth One, but now, it's after Crisis has happened (and after Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow has happened). So, now, Superman is dead, Supergirl is dead, Wonder Woman is dead, Flash (Barry Allen) is dead, Aquagirl is dead (LOL, who cares), and all of Superman's important supporting cast and villains are dead for the most part.
So, someone has to take up the slack. And that someone is Superwoman (Kristin Wells). This is her chance to shine. She even gets to start up a new version of the Justice League (since JLI just isn't going to happen).
Here's my roster: Superwoman (Kristin Wells), Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) who eventually goes through a character arc in which she becomes Batwoman, Wonder Woman (Nubia takes up the role after Donna is offered the opportunity), Mera and Aquaman (Mera gets a character arc involving her motivations here), Green Lantern (John Stewart), Firehawk (with occasional visits from Firestorm), Conjura (okay, super obscure character but one that nobody's done anything with), and maybe Captain Comet.
@@SimonMoon5 I’d read that!
I find it funny that Kristin's normal outfits are all more revealing than her Super Hero costume. Maybe the logic is "Superwoman can't be Kristin Wells...I can't see her legs!:
It makes sense that you would try to cover as much of your body as possible besides your face if you’re a superhero
I remember "Miracle Monday"! The part I remember most is that Earth was the only planet in existence with Xerox technology, and somehow we eventually could Xerox other planets! It's so funny how Jimmy is SO attracted to a woman with a strong resemblance to him!
"Where's HR!" I don't think the Daily planet has an HR department considering all the stuff Clark and Lois get up to.
Maybe she meant H.R. Wells a possible relative if Kristen that works with the Flash at Star Labs. :)
i think a story about being celebrated as a hero for something that you haven’t done yet despite history saying otherwise would make for a very unique and interesting story
Oooh yes I agree, could be a very interesting exploration of the concept of "legacy" in this case living up to her own
Another thing to remember is that "Miracle Monday" was a highly retooled retelling of a Silver Age story, "Thirsty Thursday," in which a villain did something like make all of the water in Metropolis undrinkable, or something along those lines. (It's been more than half a century since I read it, okay? ;) ) That story did not include Kristin Wells, though IIRC, it did feature the trope of the time traveler coming back to witness an historic event, and becoming a crucial figure in said event. I did enjoy one of the narrative tricks Magin used in "Miracle Monday," though -- using Kristin's diary to document her slow corruption by the demon C.W. Saturn. Ending with Saturn casting off the final remnants of Wells, and signing off the final diary entry with a literally chilling "...at the dawn of a frigid March." That particular line has stuck with me.
There was also a very nice little exploration of the carefully cultivated personality Kal-El had crafted for Clark, down to little neurotic idiosyncrasies about how Clark organized his apartment, and his hobby of collecting interesting and funny TV commercials on VHS tapes. Demonstrating that Kel-El never really enjoyed the opportunity to just be himself, he was always either playing the role of Superman, or the role of Clark Kent. And both were cultivated personalities. There was a nightmare depicted that Kal-El was having, in which his secret identity had been taken away, and he had to be Superman *all the time*. "It was hellish," was the description of his thoughts about it, IIRC. And later, when Saturn actually does take away Clark Kent, it proves to be worse than he had dreamt. With the ultimate stab through his heart -- Lois will have nothing to do with him, because he must have "been sitting behind those glasses, laughing at me all this time for being so stupid." For a comic book character, it was well-developed psychological horror.
Elliot S! Maggin really did (in my opinion) a great job of exploring and expanding on the psychology and intrinsic character of both Kal-El and Lex Luthor. I really liked Miracle Monday and it fit so well withing the then-current Superman story being shown in the comics.
Was hoping you'd cover her! I read Miracle Monday last year and always wondered what happened to her
I literally just finished reading "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", and when I saw this version of Superwoman I was like "who?". This video could not have been more timely.
When Booster Gold's origin was revealed, it reminded me a bit of Kristin Wells' backstory.
I LOVED the "cranky, old Superwoman" revision! I'm still mad that they just HAD to ruin it by making her a war-criminal that Clark could not in good conscience associate with...She would have made an awesome babysitter for Jon when he was still a kid; who else could keep up with him? And that could've warmed her heart up a bit, too...More opportunities for Fun Stories, down the drain...
I’ve been thinking a lot about this character lately. Thank you so much 😭
Maggin's two novels, "Last Son of Krypton" and "Miracle Monday", are the definitive version of Superman as far as I'm concerned. Those books should be required reading for anyone attempting to write the character.
It's interesting how those novels came about. Supposedly, Mario Puzo (who worked on the Superman movie script) had a clause in his contract that his screenplay could not be turned into a book. So Warner Bros. decided to commission an original story instead, and just package it as if it were movie tie-in. The same clause applied to the sequel, so we got a second Maggin novel to go with that one. By the time Superman III came around, Puzo was no longer involved, so they just did a regular adaptation instead.
Per an interview with Maggin, Last Son of Krypton originated as his own film treatment for a Superman film circa 1974.
Agreed on the treatment of Superman's character, and I've always wished that Maggin's version of Luthor had become the template. I especially liked his many disposable secret identities convincing him that Superman must do the same, and so uncovering any single one wasn't worth it. And stashing technological wonders in a modern art museum.
("That's your spaceship?" "You don't think it's art, do you?")
Not really, as some of the opinions and views of Maggins shown in those novels don't apply anymore to the character. For example Maggin shows Clark Kent as a purely fictional identity created by Superman, but nowadays Clark Kent is usually shown as the real identity or at least as real as Superman.
@@RodrigoGarcia-ze5em I'm well aware that the current Superman isn't much like Maggin's. That's my point. I think it should be, because I like that version better.
@@JKevinCarrier that's kinda of a fanatical response then. The post crisis superman was created with the intention of going back to the golden age roots of the character, in which Superman didn't know he was kryptonian until much later in life and as a result he identified with his human identity and the average reader seem to prefer Clark being more real than Maggin saw him as.
@@RodrigoGarcia-ze5em Liking a different version of Superman than you do makes me "fanatical"? Who are you, the Fandom Police? Good grief.
In Doomsday Clock #12, we're introduced to an "Earth 1985", basically a continuation of pre-Crisis Earth 1 in much the same way that pre-Crisis Earth 2 was a continuation of the Golden Age DCU. I could see using Kristen Wells as a way of reintroducing Earth-1985, given her "time traveling historian" premise.
That could be an interesting universe to explore. Maybe make Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? canon, so the OG Superman's retired, and you can explore a Flash who doesn't have the Speed Force.
@ProjektTaku Other things to lean into: Superman and Jimmy Olsen had temporarily become the Batman and Robin of the bottled city of Kandor, a.k.a. Nightwing and Flamebird. (That's where Dick Grayson got the Nightwing codename.) They eventually passed the identities on to a couple of natives, Van-Zee and Ak-Var. After that, Kandor was restored to fill size on an alien world called Rokyn, serving as basically a "New Krypton".
So after the death of Jimmy and the presumed death of Superman during WHttMoT, I could see Van-Zee and Ak-Var relocating to Earth and taking on the identities of Superman and Superboy.
Supergirl and the Flash could be the ones seen in Convergence #8: Earth 1985 went through the Crisis the way Earth 1 did, but recovered Barry Allen and Linda Lee some time after WHttMoT. When Barry returns, Wally takes on a new codename, as he's outgrown Kid Flash. My suggestion would be Fast Forward.
Jimmy also needs to be saved from his fate in WHttMoT, because he's Kristen Wells' ancestor.
@@dataweaver I dunno, not giving Wally the Flash moniker is pretty disrespectful. Even if he was never Flash on Earth-1985, he was the main Flash for a long time. I think exploring more of the Flashes without the Speed Force is still a good idea.
@ProjektTaku Earth-1985 is (the continuation of) the Bronze Age; and Barry Allen is the Bronze Age Flash, just like Jay Garrick is the Golden Age Flash. That's why Wally West _shouldn't_ be Earth-1985's Flash; at least, not for long. And I say this as a huge fan of Wally. There's a time and place for him to be the Flash; but Earth-1985 isn't it.
I'm also with you about Flash without the Speed Force. Which is another reason why Wally shouldn't be the Flash on this Earth: the Speed Force was a Wally innovation, being revealed as part of Wally's story arc where he finally surpassed his mentor. Sticking to Barry as the Flash keeps us firmly grounded in the pre-Speed Force era of storytelling.
Aww, a shame that she didn't have more appearances, she sounds like a super fun character! Just the little tidbits in the video she really shows a fun personality and role! I should really check out more Bronze Age comics, they look very fun!
I LOVED this Superwoman, Kristen Wells! Thank you for remembering her! Best costume and she was a teacher, too. Excellent!
Damn, Kristen is actually great! She's really fun, I hope she does make a well handled comeback! Thank you Sasha!
Definitely seemed like a fun time travel story. If they reintroduce her, I'd actually rather it happen in a story centered on her and Booster Gold! That seems like it could be fun.
Hmm . . . remembering the costumes of both, I'm kind of wondering if Supernova was supposed to be a Superwoman reference.
Honestly that super family costume but with the full cowl i kinda like i wouldn't mind a return of that
I want to see a crossover between her original version and Boster Gold. They have similar themes, but very different personalities
Why would she team up with Green Lantern?
I love Chris Kent. Wish he was a prominent part of the Superman family, as Jon's "older brother"
Unfortunately he is currently a bad guy now...that irritated me in Rebirth because he is quite insistent that he is not Lor-Zod!
Thanks for doing this. Superwoman was there and then disappeared after Crisis! I saw this story on the newsstand but did not pick it up.Im glad she's back in whatever form
I've largely left superhero comics behind. But I am a big fan of the channel, so I keep watching.
I still have my collection from the '80s. And I like superhero movies.
@@sandal_thong Same. I still have some superhero books I enjoy, though I'm mostly filling in back issues and grabbing interesting arc trades. Largely I've moved along to other things - Groo, Usagi Yojimbo, Conan, Goon. And I do have a weakness for Lego superheroes.
You know her appearance in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" created a paradox I would have expected Alan Moore to exploit given him being such a stickler for details. In her second appearance as you noted she says she's a descendant of Jimmy Olsen, well Olsen dies in "Whatever", presumably leaving no heirs behind. So either Kristin should have winked out of existence the moment he died or she should have been left with no future to return to. I wonder why Moore didn't notice this? It's possible she was added by Curt Swain and wasn't in Moore's script for the issues, and since this was when Swain was the veteran Superstar and Moore was the up and comer, he didn't have a say in how the art came out. It could have left Kristin in the same boat as other time displaced characters in DC's history. Something maybe a writer could use her for at some point I suppose. Still it's any interesting flub from a creator who is notorious for his details.
Alternatively, Jimmy Olsen could have knocked up Lucy Lane or someone else before going to the Fortress, leaving Kristin the descendent of a man who never met his child... 😢
Or Jimmy sowed some wild oats before he snuffed it.
Or he joined the many, many comic book characters to die and get better.
@rmsgrey I'm just curious, have you read "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"?
To be fair "Whatever Happened" has a time skip at the beggining (Lois mentions events and battles we didn't see, like the Death of Terra Man and Parasite or the destruction of Brainiac's metal body) so it's possible Jimmy impregnated his girlfriend without realizing before dying.
@ Not in the last 6 months, but yes, I have read it.
Always liked her costume. I thought it made her stand out from the regular Superman family characters of the time.
I really like this Superwoman's outfit, particularly the way the cape flows into the blue portion of her torso. Also, I just lover her expressions in the panels with her and the flag in the future. I don't remember seeing a super that looking that happy just flying around since dream-Asa in Astro City.
Lol, the Staying Alive Superman panel is pretty sweet.
1:30 I had to make a screencap! I can't get over this! LOL
I had the annual with Luthorcon. I loved that her 80s future fashion was just a (slightly) exaggerated version of what was on MTV at the time. I wonder if she used that annoying glitter hairspray too?
I'd like to see Superwoman and Booster Gold team up in a Time Travel Straight Cop/Wacky Cop Story
usually i dislike costumes like superwoman cowl, but this was drawn with an interesting silhouette. and i love time travel with an interesting concept.
Thank you for featuring her. I have been a fan since I came across her 1st appearance at a local flea market when I was younger. Wish they'd bring her back
I like the Costume! 🦸🏼♀️
Really enjoy these deep dives into obscure characters that only appeared a handful of times
I read both annuals, but never read miracle Monday, so good to learn about it
4:45 I bought this comic at a shop in Chicago in 2023 when I was there for a research conference (APSA)! Awesome!
Should do one about Captain Comet ☄
So happy you talked about this character. I had both of those Kristen Wells (Superwoman) comics once upon a time and thoroughly loved them. I thought they were fun and would have loved to have seen more adventures with her.
Awesome! I was a big fan of DC COmics Presents and recall his first appearance well. The later stories I wasn't aware of so it was great to hear about the continuing adventures (and cameos) of Kristin Wells and Superwoman.
THANK YOU! I read Superman: Miracle Monday when it came out, and I only had patchy memories of the details after the years, so it was wonderful to be reacquainted with it, plus the Kristen Welles Superwoman!
Kristin's journal entry at the end of Chapter 8 of Miracle Monday gives me the creeps every time I read the book.
Thanks for doing this. I always liked Kirsten Wells, and glad to see she hasn't been totally forgotten.
There was another story by Elliot S! Maggin, 'The Miracle Of Thirsty Thursday' from Superman # 293 (August 1975), which has a historian from the future, Joanne Jaime, who goes back into the past to witness actions by Superman that become part of future folklore. Joanie reads like a prototype for Kirsten, but she's less proactive, mostly standing by and watching events.
Wait was that Spider-man?! Oh and Zorro too!
I love Kristin Wells! Thank you for this, Sasha! I've let Elliot S! Maggin know you posted it.
I LOVED that annual! It was my first exposure to the character & my young mind was blown away. I was only 11 and it opened my mind.
Elliot S! Maggin wrote a similar story back in 1975 for Superman #293 "The Miracle of Thirsty Thursday" with many of the same plot points, especially when it comes to time travel.
I had kind of forgotten about Keith Pollard, but wow, his art in that first story is just amazing!
Terrific analysis. And the lipstick is pretty hot too.
Great episode :)
Please, make a video on young justice early adventures! 🙏
I loved it, like when she told a person that Lena Thorul needed Orange juice when Lena passes out.
Thank you SO MUCH for talking about the two Elliot S! Magin novels. (Yes, the middle initial is properly punctuated with an exclamation point -- I'm surprised you didn't note that, lol!) He was one of the most prolific of the Silver Age writers of the Superman stories. I have always enjoyed the insight he showed into the Silver Age DC universe, stated in the first novel, "Last Son of Krypton." It went something like "In a world where Good and Bad were easy to tell apart, Superman saved the tanker," or something very similar. There is also a nice scene in one of these books that portrays the Silver Age Superman perfectly -- for example, showcasing how Supes has to be able to *think* in super-speed in order to pull off the saves he does. Unlike in other DC shows and books, Magin's Superman can see, for example, that there are a dozen people about to die, and he has to decide which ones will survive unscathed, and which ones will get hurt. He just can't move fast enough to save everyone without injury. So, thinking 10 steps ahead, within a second or two, he gets everyone out, but some are hurt. And it weighs on his conscience, that even with his enormous powers, he couldn't stop that. He lived in a world where bad was bad, good was good, and it wasn't very hard to tell the difference... There are days I yearn for that world.
Love the channel
I don't know exactly why, but this video you felt partciularly on your game, it was really good! Kristen is a fun character idea that they should definitely bring back. Maybe put her in the Booster Gold camp of time-travelling heroes. Also the post-crisis version sounded really interesting as well. I think they can both co-exist as seprate characters and both deserve to get explored.
Thanks for this. I love Maggin's work, and the art on Superwoman's comic book appearances was so gorgeous I fell in love with the character. I didn't even know about the alternate version of Kristin; I think I prefer the first one
Not just foxy...outrageously foxy!!!
I have read both "Last Son of Krypton" and "Miracle Monday". I also read the Marvel novels that were printed around that same time. Loved them all.🤓
Had both of those Annuals. Love time travel stories. I enjoyed these stories.
I'd love for you to do an episode on Rip Hunter, Booster Gold's son.
14:29 is that you, Rachel Summers?! 😂😂😂
I wonder if Superwoman helped inspire the Samaritan from "Astro City." Another Superman inspired character from the distant future who traveled back in time to see a specific event (the shuttle Challenger explosion) and found himself becoming a hero in the mold of Superman. He gets a job as a fact checker in a news magazine.
So cool to learn of a Super Woman I had never heard of before! Time travel is always problematic, especially when it is a casual use tech in so many futures, but it seems it was handled well here. I wonder if she's met Professor Zoom, or Booster Gold or any of the other future tech = super powers characters. I think I'd like to see a version of her that was stranded in the past (our present), trying to avoid messing up the timeline, but never sure whether she was. I like the idea of her being literally a woman of Tomorrow.
I'm very glad you did this video. I read the two novels and the DC Comics Presents annuals back when they first came out. She was a very cool character. It would be good to see her brought back if it could done right. As mentioned in the comments, a Superwoman/Booster Gold team-up begs to be told :-).
Luthorcon sounds nuts but it tracks. It would be like a true crime convention.
Elliott S! Maggin deserves more recognition...(I wonder if the "S!" means what I always thought it does). Doesn't one of his stories have a future version of Superman and Lex as friends and allies exploring the universe in their personal starship?
Kristin really seems like a fun character, I’ll have to check out her books!
And I’m just glad you didn’t mention that other Superwoman that used her costume, Lois Lane’s sister Lucy who became a serial killer I think?
Verbiage about America never bowing to a tyrant is wild considering Trump term 2
I read 'Miracle Monday' back in the 1980s. I eventually read the comics with Superwoman in them, but not when they were new. Sometime in the 1990s, I think. Maybe early 2000s.
I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about "Superman" #293, which is sort of a precursor to "Miracle Monday."
I never heard of this Superwoman and I thought it was interesting to get to know her!
Excellent video! You probably already know this, but Miracle Monday was very loosely inspired by a 1975 Superman story (also written by Elliot Maggin) called The Miracle of Thirsty Thursday, (either Superman no. 292 or 293, I think?) which also involved a historical journalist from the future. The journalist from the future in that story was a very rough first draft of what eventually became the Kristin Wells character. I would love to see a video about Thirsty Thursday someday. Just a thought! ❤
I like how a mask looks with a standard Super-costume.
I really liked the Last Son of Krypton novel. I hadn't been reading comics too long at this point, and it was nice to see superhero stories in prose. I also picked up several of the Marvel Novel Series books that were published in the late 70s. Those were good, too. But I didn't read Miracle Monday until many years later. It was still enjoyable, but not the same as if I had read it in my teens.
I also don't know about the wisdom of having a "LutherCon", especially considering that the real Luthor used it to his advantage!
The backstory kind of reminds me of elements of Eobard Thawne's backstory. His modern incarnation is a curator/historian in the future Flash Museum, he went back in time to go on superhero adventures, but ended up finding out he was actually going to be a legendary villain. This element of him as a fanboy discovering his masked identity with time travel was introduced after the Kristin Wells stories, so I wonder if Mark Waid intentionally based that story element on her.
I read "Superman: Last Son of Krypton" when it came out (I was 10) thinking it was about the movie. I didn't actually read comics at the time, had just watched things like Superfriends, which gave me a pretty low opinion of what comics were like. I looooved the book though, especially the depiction of Luthor. It was very obvious that the universe wasn't the film universe, and I figured out it must be closer to the comics, which raised my estimation of them somewhat. I did start reading comics before Miracle Monday came out - mostly Marvel actually, but also Teen Titans during Wolfman's run. I sampled Superman comics, but they were too silly for my taste at the time. But I did read Miracle Monday when it came out. And I remember seeing the covers of the Superman annuals you covered here, but didn't pick them up. I might have if I'd realized it was by Maggin and that Superwoman was Kristen Wells from the book!
With so many super women currently, how has this costume or a redesign of it not made a return? is so good
What a Great Episode ❤
I most def remember the Kryptonian version of her when she appeared in the comics. They would get super man comics at the school library when I was in middle school and I remember reading her appearance then. I didnt know she was the super woman but in a different form at the time.
Been years since reading Miracle Monday so I don't remember her. But I remember seeing that costume. I think I've got one of those annuals.
I LOVED Kristin Wells...almost as much as I loved....wait for it...JERRO(you knew that was coming, didn't you?)
She seems pretty interesting: a historian from the future, travelling to the past, unwillinly at first in making things happened as they do in their history books. You can have her fight a time altering villains monitoring the time stream flow and questioning free will and determinism
The concept of Kara being MIA because she happened to decide to take the plane for fun that day is so funny to me
excellent analysis; 🧐 wow so much I didn’t know
Maggin probably cribbed the "Miracle Monday" story from Superman #293 which featured a story called "The Miracle of Thirsty Thursday". (seriously) That story also features a female historian from the future, named Joann Jamie. She travels back in time to learn about an infamous incident in which everyone in Metropolis developed a fear of water which had a mysterious, but "miraculous" resolution.
Always some fun hidden treasures with Sasha 📚📖
9:36 *GASP* Is that...WEB-MAN?? And he's doing the "They don't know I'm..." meme!
Never knew about her! But what an interesting paradox!
I like her! Even though i dont care for time travel. Her beeing a historian an history as it was and as it was written, not always beeint the same thing, or her not beeing able to life her full life in either timeline sound fun. She has potential
Have you done a deep dive on Ultraa or Vartoxx yet? Those are a couple characters who've got interesting histories. Oooo...or maybe Mark Shaw, the Privateer/Manhunter? He's another cool character that kind of faded into obscurity.
She's fun. They should bring her back in an animated show or something.